India look to seal series

A dominant Indian team is expected to maintain their stranglehold on a miserable Sri Lanka and wrap up the three-match series when the two mismatched teams face off in the second Twenty20 International on Friday.

There seems no end to the woes of the visitors, who slumped to a heavy 93-run defeat in the series-opener in Cuttack.

While the Indian youngsters have put their hands up to deliver the goods, the Lankans are going through a terrible phase of transition during which they are badly in need of reliable performers.

The result has been a lack of contest and one-sided results, prompting many to question the very logic of India playing such a weak side again and again.

This series has hardly proved to be a good preparation for the challenging South Africa tour that awaits India next month, considering the home team's domination in the absence of a good opposition in favourable conditions.

The Indian batsmen have made merry against a toothless attack. Runs and wickets always give confidence to the players but there is a question mark over how much these performances will count in the South African conditions.

Absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan and a transformed Bhuvneshwar Kumar has not given any respite to the Sri Lankans, who overtly rely on seniors such as Angelo Mathews.